Monday, May 11, 2015

Tom Brady was suspended for four games. The New England Patriots lost a first-round draft pick next season and a fourth-round pick in 2017 and also have to cough up a million dollars. And the NFL handed out on Monday what will not only be a popular punishment for the legions of Patriot haters, but also a deserved one.

Simply, Brady seemed shady. He wasn't totally forthcoming during the investigation into the footballs deflated before the AFC championship game, and a reasonable man would assume that is because he had something to hide. Basically, the Patriots cheated and got caught -- that's how I and millions of others read it. (The Patriots don't believe they did anything wrong, though).

Remember -- and a retired judge pointed this out to me -- the burden of proof is different in a case like this. The bar is set lower, because while "Deflategate" is a juicy topic it is not a criminal investigation. Brady is an employee of the NFL, and based on its investigation it has determined that there is a preponderance of evidence that more likely than not Brady knew about and agreed with what was going on. Thus, the quarterback violated the integrity of the game.

The suspension of one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history for the first four games of this season will be one of the biggest stories in the league in 2015. New England won its fourth Super Bowl under Brady earlier this year. Now the Patriots will likely be starting Jimmy Garoppolo for a month. The loss of a first-round draft pick is also significant; the fourth-round pick and the million dollars, not so much.

The many fans who are jealous of the Patriots' success will revel in the Patriots' golden boy getting punished. But I am not happy about it for that reason. I am happy about it because Brady and the Patriots deserved it.

This was an obvious skirting of the rules, and no one on the Patriots' side has defended the quarterback with a lot of specifics for very good reason. The specifics would make him look bad. Brady will still be a first-ballot hall of famer, but Deflategate now and forever will also be a part of his legacy.

8 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The NFL basically said, "We're pretty sure he cheated so we're suspending him for 4 games." It will never hold up and it shouldn't. The fact that Fowler thinks it should is, unfortunately, typical. Would he think that if it were the Panthers and Cam?

Brady knew. He was a great QB with deflated balls. Let's see if he looks as good with properly inflated balls. If so, I will give him his praise. I respect the NFL for handling it, as I see it, correctly. And let's leave Cam and other QBs out of it. This is about Brady.

I guess in America maybe, or likely, is okay to punish and destroy a reputation. The NFL spent millions and the only thing they could come up with is a text saying Brady likes the ball low. Ted Wells offered this as his best piece of evidence. It doesn't say how low. Unreal that anyone would think Brady's phone would have anything about deflating footballs. They have his texts to the ballboys. Scott, do you think he is going to text his uncle about deflation? Wells frequently leaked info and no one with a brain would give that man anything voluntarily. Pure grandstanding by Ted Wells. I wont get into the gauges with different readings including low reading of the Colts. All I have to say is I hope you never get accused of something you didn't do and if you do the evidence is better than more than likely.

Sad that you have become a jealous bitter loser. You need to sign on to an unlawful penalty designed to distract the public from the real problems of domestic violence and head trauma, but mostly to distract from your overpaid underachieving QB whose entire collegiate career is one long exercise in academic fraud. Infantile column by pathetic time-wasting loser.